Nashville and Seattle swapped a pair of former first-round picks on Sunday when the Predators acquired forward Matthew Wood from the Kraken for forward Shane Wright.
Seattle selected Wright, 22, with the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft.
He had four points (three goals, one assist), four penalty minutes, 12 blocks and seven hits in 14 games with the Kraken this season. For his career, he has 82 points (39 goals, 43 assists), a plus-15 rating, 34 penalty minutes, 145 blocks and 114 hits in 183 games.
“We are excited to add Shane to our mix of forwards,” Nashville general manager Chris MacFarland said. “We feel he will bring a strong, two-way game to our team and will add to the pace of our lineup. We believe Shane will continue to grow as a player, and we look forward to working with him.”
Nashville chose Wood, 21, with the 15th overall selection of the 2023 draft.
He had three points (one goal, two assists), four penalty minutes, six blocks and 12 hits in 14 games for the Predators this season. He had 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in 71 games last season. For his career, Wood has 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists), a minus-5 rating, 20 penalty minutes, 33 blocks and 67 hits in 91 games.
“There’s still room to add more strength to his body and to his frame,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said of the 6-foot-4, 202-pound Wood. “But I think he utilizes his reach very well to protect pucks. And more importantly, to get a shot off. And we think his hockey sense and his shot are two of the best attributes that he can bring to our team.”
